The Mischievous Bride

‘The Mischievous Bride’ by Teresa McCarthy is a clean regency romance and the fourth book of five of The Clearbrook Series. There are four sons and one daughter in the Clearbrook family. The first book   dealt with the oldest son and the daughter and is called The Rejected Suitor. The second book dealt with the fourth son and is called The Wagered Bride. The third book is called The Convenient Bride and dealt with the third son.

Lord Marcus Clearbrook is the second son and the only brother still unmarried. Eight years ago, he was engaged to Lady Madeleine. She was of course very beautiful, but she was a flirt. When Marcus found that she wasn’t faithful to him, he broke off the engagement and closed his heart. He decided that he would never marry for love, then he could keep his heart walled up. Then four years ago he met a most enchanting girl. Milli and her family had arrived at the Clearbrook house that day. Milli was dancing by herself in the ballroom alone when he came across her. He saw that she was too young to marry, but her carefree spirit intrigued him. He even asked her for a future dance, when she was old enough to dance publicly. Now Milli is all grown up. And even though she is not a girl anymore, but a woman, she is still quite spirited.

Millicent Harriet Shelby has loved Marcus since she was fourteen and first met him when her family went to the Clearbrook’s home (The Wagered Bride). Her older sister Elizabeth was to marry Lord Stephan. Its four years later and she still loves him. Her father died two years and now Lord Stephan and Elizabeth are her guardians. When her father died, half his fortune went to Elizabeth and half went to her. Now there are many gentlemen vying for her hand, many of which are fortune hunters. Many of them are handsome, but none of them make her heart beat wildly like when Marcus is near.

It’s been two years since the death of William Shelby and some information has recently been found. Apparently Shelby was afraid that something might happen to him and wrote a note the day before he died. It is now believed that he did not die by natural causes, but by poison. It is theorized that he was killed due to someone owing him a large debt. That and/or the fact that his daughters would get everything at his death are the likely choices. With Elizabeth married at the time, the guess is that if the killer is after the money, he will try to get to it through Milli’s hand in marriage. Which means that any one of her numerous suitors could be a murderer. It’s up to Marcus and the rest of the Clearbrook men and Jared, Emily Clearbrook’s husband, to figure out who he is. The men decide that their wives shouldn’t be told this information, even though two of the women worked as spies!

This is a great book and it was nice to read about Milli and Marcus’s story, especially since their love was hinted at in The Wagered Bride. There is another book in the series, but it’s not out yet. I wonder whose story it will be since all the siblings have had their story told, unless McCarthy tells Roderick and Jane’s story which was only hinted at in The Rejected Suitor.